Pacific Northwest Report: Top 10 Winter Fails

Editor’s Note: Many of us are starting to dig out of the cold and are enjoying spring. In Hood River, it’s been a long, hard winter and it’s still on the chilly side. Our Pacific Northwest Correspondent Jhacoli Yang from The Village of Stoke reflects on the worst, and best, parts of the winter paddling season.

Top 10 greatest fails of paddling in winter

By Jhacholi Yang, PNW Correspondent

1. The day ends at 4:30.

2. Bootie struggles – everything about them, getting them on (especially after you have all of your layers on, taking them off – because you have to remove them before you can remove the rest of your layers, losing board feel, dealing with them after the paddle.

3. Gloves – and the consequences of not wearing them. You can’t feel anything with them on – now your paddle feels like an oar, you can’t do proper hand transfers, try taking a few pics with gloves on, can you even get to your camera without taking them off???? No, I would rather have my fingers fall off than wear gloves. Sometimes you feel like your hands are colder when wearing them, wait…they are!

4. Drysuits – they are better than wetsuits – but you still feel like a crinkly loud astronaut. Drysuit origin story… my dad tried to get me to put on a drysuit without cutting the neck gasket, it was the worst experience in strangulation I have ever felt.

5. Water temperature… it’s always colder than it seems…. even when it’s sunny.

6. Gear schlepping in the cold….brittality – everything being extra crunchy and fragile that it chips easily.